Cutting back on spending on petrol.

hollyh

Hi,

I need to cut back in all ways but my petrol bill has just doubled with the children going back to school. Ds1 is in 6th form and has just lost his free school bus entitlement.

His school is 3 miles away and Ds2's is 2 miles away. There's no pavement until almost at Ds2's school and its a main road with national speed limit. I was planning on walking Ds2 some days but now won't have time due to having to take Ds1.

The bus costs £2.50 a day for Ds1 if he took the public bus.

With school runs, post office trips for my work purposes and a once a week trip 10 miles for lunch with my sisters I'm spending £20 a week on petrol.

hollyh

Oh and I forgot to say that Ds1 has very recently come off crutches after he tore the ligaments in his ankle and has been advised not to do any long distance walking for a while.

michael1983l

Is there any other parents close by who could take them or share taking with them thus halving your school trip journeys?

Is there iny possiblity of changing your car for something more economical?

Can they move to a closer school?

Can they cycle to school safely?

hollyh

michael1983l wrote: »

Is there any other parents close by who could take them or share taking with them thus halving your school trip journeys?

Is there iny possiblity of changing your car for something more economical?

Can they move to a closer school?

Can they cycle to school safely?

There aren't any other parents close by we live out of the village the school is.

My car has less than a 1l engine so it should already be pretty economical.

No closer schools.

Ds1 could cycle but that would mean buying him a bike. Could work out cheaper in the long run though. Ds2 couldn't cycle the road is too dangerous.

Cornucopia

£20 per week isn't all that much these days.

If your local petrol is 138p, then £20 only gets you 14.5 litres (just over 3 gallons). If your car does 40mpg, that'd be 120 miles.

hollyh

I'm only doing about 60 miles a week though.

McKneff

Do a rota visiting sisters, meet at each others houses.

Go to the post office while taking the kids or when visiting sisters, just try to amalgate journeys.

sharp82

hollyh wrote: »

I'm only doing about 60 miles a week though.

Reset your mile counter, and check it again in a week. You'll be surprised on how many miles you really do

I'm currently on £25 a week, and thats just going to work and back. Maybe the odd trip to the shop

hollyh

We have to meet where we do because its in my sisters lunch hour from work we meet and she wouldn't have time to get here and back.

I do try and go to the post office when I pick up Ds1, if I don't the nearest post office is 2 miles in the other direction from home. I could walk this but feel it takes too big a chunk out of my day. Actually thinking about it I could cycle it i have a bike and I've just pumped the flat tyres up.

Trazy

Have a look on freecycle for a push bike for your eldest, if he cycles to school this then frees you up to walk your youngest to his school


I would buy your eldest a good new cycle helmet - not used as you don't know what may have happened to it

Weird_Nev

Car sharing with other parents?
Definately time for older children to cycle. Get them signed up to cycling proficiency and find them a second hand bike on freecycle or in the small ads.

To be honest, if he's at sixth form he can make his own way to college. I'm sure DS2 could as well
I was cycling 3+ miles each way to school from the age of 12. I met up with mates and it was a great laugh. Great for fitness too.